1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the formation of a depression in a semiconductor structure. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of forming a sacrificial plug in a semiconductor structure during a damascene process. In particular, the present invention relates to a method of forming a sacrificial nitride spacer as part of the formation of a contact to a polysilicon plug that makes contact to a semiconductive substrate. The inventive method of forming the sacrificial spacer also provides an advantage of being self-aligned to the underlying polysilicon plug that is to be contacted.
2. The Relevant Technology
In the microelectronics industry, a substrate refers to one or more semiconductor layers or structures which include active or operable portions of semiconductor devices. In the context of this document, the term "semiconductive substrate" is defined to mean any construction comprising semiconductive material, including but not limited to bulk semiconductive material such as a semiconductive wafer, either alone or in assemblies comprising other materials thereon, and semiconductive material layers, either alone or in assemblies comprising other materials. The term substrate refers to any supporting structure including but not limited to the semiconductive substrates described above.
In the fabrication of semiconductor devices, metal contacts are formed over semiconductor substrates that have been processed to form devices connected to each other to form integrated circuits. In particular, the devices are connected with aluminum and aluminum alloys lines that have been deposited into vias and other recesses such as trenches and contact corridors. This method is used generally in the industry. However, as devices have been miniaturized, due to a higher device density on a semiconductor substrate and a smaller device, the openings to be filled have smaller cross-sectional "footprints".
Typically, contacts have cross-sectional footprints of about 0.35 microns or smaller. The alignment of a composite contact with a footprint of about 0.35 microns is problematic, and fabrication yield with such a process prerequisite may be unacceptably low due to misalignment. In addition to the problem of sub-micron misalignment of a composite contact, an increased resistivity is caused due to a physical seam between two discrete sections of the contact.
While the aluminum in the contact and an active area in a semiconductor substrate must be electrically connected, it has become useful to use intermediate layers to provide better electrical connection to the semiconductive substrate, and to provide a metallurgical barrier between the active area and the aluminum to prevent spiking of the aluminum into the active area. Spiking can interfere with the performance and reliability of the integrated circuit.
Conventionally, one method which has been used to accomplish the metallurgical barrier has been to form a layer of titanium over a semiconductor substrate at the interconnect-exposed site, to form a titanium silicide barrier layer at the exposed site, and in the presence of nitrogen, to form a titanium silicide/titanium nitride composite layer substantially from the titanium layer. Another solution has been to form the titanium silicide barrier layer first and then to sputter additional titanium nitride over the titanium silicide or titanium silicide/titanium nitride layer. In this way, a sufficient thickness of titanium nitride may be formed to provide a desired thickness in the metallurgical barrier.
Typically, in order to form a composite contact consisting of, for example, a metallization trench above a polysilicon plug that contacts a semiconductive substrate or a metallization trench that contacts the polysilicon plug, two photolithography steps are carried out. FIG. 1 illustrates a first step in the two-step photolithography process, wherein a semiconductor structure 10 includes a semiconductive substrate 12 with raised structures thereon such as a gate stack 14. Gate stack 14 may be covered with a dielectric layer 16 such as an oxide, for example, boro phospho silicate glass (BPSG) and the like. Typically, but not necessarily, an interlayer dielectric (ILD) 18 may be formed upon dielectric layer 16.
A first aspect of forming a contact to semiconductive substrate 12 is carried out by patterning a first masking layer 20 and carrying out an anisotropic etch such as to form a first recess 22 through interlayer dielectric 18. Where interlayer dielectric 18 is not present, first recess 22 forms to a limited depth within dielectric layer 16 but first recess 22 does not penetrate substantially to expose semiconductive substrate 12. First masking layer 20 is then removed.
Following formation of first recess 22, a second masking layer 24 seen in FIG. 2 is formed upon semiconductor structure 10 and patterned to be substantially aligned with first recess 22 in preparation for a second etch. This second etch is an aspect of a dual-damascene etch process that is used to form a contact corridor. The second etch is carried out to sufficiently penetrate through dielectric layer 16 and to stop on semiconductive substrate 12 so as to form a second recess 26. The dual-damascene feature can be seen in FIG. 2 wherein interlayer dielectric 18 has an ILD sidewall 30 and dielectric layer 16 has a dielectric layer sidewall 32.
Forming a dual-damascene structure for a contact according to the prior art includes the problem of a dual or single misalignment during patterning of either first masking layer 20 or second masking layer 24. Where patterning of either first masking layer 20 or second masking layer 24 is misaligned, etching of either first recess 22 or second recess 26 may cause destructive etching into gate stack 14. Etching into gate stack 14, followed by filling with an electrically-conductive material will likely cause shorting between the electrically conductive material and the electrically conductive portion of gate stack 14. Where first recess 22 may be misaligned, formation of second recess 26 may require penetration both through dielectric layer 16 but also through interlayer dielectric 18 such that the total effect of etching may not penetrate dielectric layer 16 sufficiently to expose semiconductive substrate 12 to a "footprint" area sufficient for a functioning contact. Where semiconductive substrate 12 is not exposed, an inadequate contact may be formed within second recess 26.
Another example of forming a composite contact includes forming a first recess that is substantially above a polysilicon plug. Forming a contact hole within the recess exposes an upper surface of the polysilicon plug. Formation of first recess 22 is done through interlayer dielectric 18 when used in a process to form a composite contact. The composite contact formation process includes a polysilicon plug (not shown) and forming first recess 22 to a limited depth within dielectric layer 16. However, first recess 22 does not penetrate substantially to expose the polysilicon plug.
FIGS. 3-6 illustrate a prior art process of forming a dual-damascene contact structure to a polysilicon plug, and also show some of the disadvantages of prior art. In FIG. 3, semiconductor structure 10 has been processed to form a contact plug 36 and a storage node 38 by a uniform etchback of a polysilicon film that has been deposited over and around sacrificial spacers 40.
In FIG. 4, further processing has been carried out, wherein a cell dielectric 42 and a cell plate layer 44 have been substantially conformably deposited upon storage node 38 and contact plug 36. It can also be seen that a dielectric film 46, an optional nitride layer 48, and second masking layer 24 have been formed upon semiconductor structure 10, whereby second masking layer 24 indicates with dashed lines an etch footprint that will be formed during an etch to remove portions of dielectric film 46, cell dielectric 42, and cell plate layer 44 that are disposed upon contact plug 36.
In FIG. 5, the effect of an etch to remove portions of dielectric film 46, cell dielectric 42, and cell plate layer 44 is illustrated. It can also be seen that a second dielectric film 50 has been deposited and optionally reflowed to substantially fill regions between contact plug 36 and storage node 38. It can also be seen that a third masking layer 52 has been patterned to indicate with dashed lines an etching footprint that is designed to be formed within interlayer dielectric 18 that may eventually form a recess such as a metallization wiring trench and the like.
In FIG. 6, it can be seen that a dual-damascene structure is being formed wherein a fourth masking layer 54 has been patterned to expose and indicate with dashed lines what will be an etching footprint that will form a contact hole to substantially expose contact plug 36, and wherein the contact hole will be substantially within first recess 22.
As illustrated in FIGS. 3-6, it can be seen that at least four separate alignment and etching processes must be carried out in order to achieve contact to contact plug 36, wherein both a wiring trench and a contact hole are formed. In any one of the alignment and etch processes, the possibility of misalignment, and therefore process error increases.
What is needed in the art is a method of forming a contact to a semiconductive substrate that avoids the problems of the prior art. What is also needed is a method of forming a contact to a polysilicon plug that contacts a semiconductive substrate without the problems of misalignment. What is particularly needed in the art is a method of forming a dual-damascene, self-aligned contact that is aligned with a polysilicon plug, where the method protects the polysilicon plug from any etching that may be required to expose but not overexpose the polysilicon plug.